As the final vote on the European Union Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is still to occur, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) reiterates its support for mandating human rights due diligence (HRDD) and establishing a common EU-wide legal framework on corporate accountability. The CSDDD may become a real milestone and would demonstrate the concrete European commitment to the promotion of sustainable business conduct.
Over the past 15 years, GNI has built consensus on good practices for human rights with regards to key elements of emerging tech regulations, such as stakeholder engagement, assessor training, independent assessments, transparency, and effective human rights due diligence. In our experience, companies have demonstrated that HRDD is not only feasible, but essential to address human rights risks comprehensively. GNI members, including our company members, believe it is critical to create a harmonized foundation for HRDD, upon which companies can continue to innovate and improve, including through multistakeholder frameworks like GNI.
Given our history of working to advance principles of responsible business conduct, as set forth in the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines) and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), we strongly encourage to co-legislators to adopt the Directive as it sets a robust, risk-based and implementable framework for due diligence in alignment with these established international frameworks.
About GNI
The Global Network Initiative (GNI) brings together a unique alliance of 96 companies, civil society organizations, investors, and academics from around the world to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy rights in the tech sector. We are the leading forum for accountability, shared learning, engagement, and collective advocacy on government and company policies and practices at the intersection of technology and human rights.